diff --git a/neode-ui/src/components/CompanionIntroOverlay.vue b/neode-ui/src/components/CompanionIntroOverlay.vue
index c0ace1a1..28185b0f 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/components/CompanionIntroOverlay.vue
+++ b/neode-ui/src/components/CompanionIntroOverlay.vue
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@
 </template>
 
 <script setup lang="ts">
-import { ref, onMounted, watch } from 'vue'
+import { ref, onMounted, onUnmounted, watch } from 'vue'
 import * as QRCode from 'qrcode'
 import { IS_DEMO } from '@/composables/useDemoIntro'
 import { useLoginTransitionStore } from '@/stores/loginTransition'
@@ -101,6 +101,8 @@ const loginTransition = useLoginTransitionStore()
 const BASE_DELAY_MS = 5000
 const POST_INTRO_GRACE_MS = 2000
 
+let calmTicker: ReturnType<typeof setInterval> | null = null
+
 onMounted(() => {
   try {
     if (localStorage.getItem(STORAGE_KEY) !== '1') {
@@ -111,21 +113,29 @@ onMounted(() => {
   }
 })
 
+onUnmounted(() => {
+  if (calmTicker) clearInterval(calmTicker)
+})
+
 function maybeShow() {
-  if (loginTransition.introCinematicPlaying) {
-    // First-visit reveal is still running — hold until it finishes.
-    const stop = watch(
-      () => loginTransition.introCinematicPlaying,
-      (playing) => {
-        if (!playing) {
-          stop()
-          setTimeout(() => { visible.value = true }, POST_INTRO_GRACE_MS)
-        }
-      },
-    )
-    return
-  }
-  visible.value = true
+  // Show only after the scene has been CONTINUOUSLY calm (no reveal
+  // cinematic) for the full grace window. The previous point-in-time check
+  // raced a slow-starting reveal — on a cold cache the entrance video can
+  // begin buffering after the 5s base delay, so the flag was still false
+  // when sampled and the popup cut straight into the cinematic.
+  let calmSince = loginTransition.introCinematicPlaying ? null : Date.now()
+  calmTicker = setInterval(() => {
+    if (loginTransition.introCinematicPlaying) {
+      calmSince = null
+      return
+    }
+    if (calmSince === null) calmSince = Date.now()
+    if (Date.now() - calmSince >= POST_INTRO_GRACE_MS) {
+      if (calmTicker) clearInterval(calmTicker)
+      calmTicker = null
+      visible.value = true
+    }
+  }, 250)
 }
 
 watch(visible, async (isVisible) => {
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/views/dashboard/ConnectionBanner.vue b/neode-ui/src/views/dashboard/ConnectionBanner.vue
index c1197898..07fad269 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/views/dashboard/ConnectionBanner.vue
+++ b/neode-ui/src/views/dashboard/ConnectionBanner.vue
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
 <script setup lang="ts">
 import { computed, ref, watch, onUnmounted } from 'vue'
 import { useAppStore } from '@/stores/app'
+import { IS_DEMO } from '@/composables/useDemoIntro'
 
 const store = useAppStore()
 
@@ -62,8 +63,23 @@ const hasConnIssue = computed(
 )
 
 const SHOW_DELAY_MS = 2500
+// Right after the page loads or the tab returns to the foreground, a dead
+// WebSocket is the NORMAL state (browsers kill sockets in background tabs;
+// first paint races the initial connect). Reconnecting takes longer than
+// the steady-state grace on real links — radio wake-up, TLS, proxies — so
+// the 2.5s window made every tab-return flash "Connection lost" on a
+// perfectly healthy node. Give those moments a much longer runway; keep
+// the short window for genuine mid-session drops.
+const RESUME_GRACE_WINDOW_MS = 15000
+const RESUME_SHOW_DELAY_MS = 10000
 const showConnIssue = ref(false)
 let pendingTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
+let lastResumeAt = Date.now() // mount counts as a resume (initial connect)
+
+function onVisibilityResume() {
+  if (!document.hidden) lastResumeAt = Date.now()
+}
+document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', onVisibilityResume)
 
 function clearTimer() {
   if (pendingTimer) {
@@ -76,11 +92,17 @@ watch(
   hasConnIssue,
   (issue) => {
     clearTimer()
+    // The demo runs against a local mock — a connection banner there is
+    // meaningless noise on what should be a flawless showcase.
+    if (IS_DEMO) return
     if (issue) {
+      const delay = Date.now() - lastResumeAt < RESUME_GRACE_WINDOW_MS
+        ? RESUME_SHOW_DELAY_MS
+        : SHOW_DELAY_MS
       pendingTimer = setTimeout(() => {
         showConnIssue.value = true
         pendingTimer = null
-      }, SHOW_DELAY_MS)
+      }, delay)
     } else {
       // Recovered before the grace window elapsed — hide at once.
       showConnIssue.value = false
@@ -89,7 +111,10 @@ watch(
   { immediate: true }
 )
 
-onUnmounted(clearTimer)
+onUnmounted(() => {
+  clearTimer()
+  document.removeEventListener('visibilitychange', onVisibilityResume)
+})
 
 // Debounced visual states the template renders.
 const showReconnecting = computed(